RE: Seeking teacher - strong kriyas, stalled progress - Discussion
RE: Seeking teacher - strong kriyas, stalled progress
Lucy Goosey, modified 1 Month ago at 10/30/24 11:15 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/30/24 11:15 AM
Seeking teacher - strong kriyas, stalled progress
Post: 1 Join Date: 6/4/24 Recent Posts
In 2022 I developed strong kriyas at a 10 day meditation retreat (secular Buddhist with TMI influences). These involve strong jerking at the neck or hips typically. In the years since I have bounced around in my meditation practice... Doing more open and relaxed type of practices, working with the kriyas, not working with them, falling off my practice, doing lots of off the cushion practice. I feel kind of at a loss of where to go and would like to have a regular teacher for some guidance. I had a teacher for a while but found their approach to be a little soft and I didn't feel like I knew where to go or what to do. I'm looking for someone who might be able to meet with me once a month or so to talk. The kriyas have been really strong lately and sometimes I feel like I could hurt myself, especially my neck when I jerk my body so suddenly. Often I don't care about them but lately I've been caring more and also coincidentally have been back in my practice more consistently.
Other info, I've been practicing for about 5 years, been on 6 or 7 retreats, practiced TMI for years sometimes for 1 1-3 hours per day. Now I don't know how to describe my practice.
Any guidance would be appreciated... Thank you.
Other info, I've been practicing for about 5 years, been on 6 or 7 retreats, practiced TMI for years sometimes for 1 1-3 hours per day. Now I don't know how to describe my practice.
Any guidance would be appreciated... Thank you.
Jim Smith, modified 1 Month ago at 10/30/24 3:09 PM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/30/24 2:58 PM
RE: Seeking teacher - strong kriyas, stalled progress
Posts: 1812 Join Date: 1/17/15 Recent PostsLucy Goosey ... Any guidance would be appreciated... Thank you.
Something you might not have thought of ... don't worry about making progress, just try to stay in the moment. Nirvana is not something you achieve in the future, it is something you find in the present moment. Meditation can help quiet the mind to make mindfulness in daily life possible, and as for the jerking phenomenon I think a relaxing type of meditation might be helpful.
https://ncu9nc.blogspot.com/p/meditation.html
In my opinion the whole idea of "progress" is more of a hinderance than a help. One of the biggest things that separates seekers from nirvana is their dissatisfaction at not experiencing nirvana, or happiness, or awakening, or anatta, whatever they are seeking. Dissatisfaction, dukkha, it's all the same. When we have what we don't want or don't have what we do want, instead of just noticing it, we are dissatisfied and we either push the thoughts and feelings away or we get carried away thinking about the problem letting the wandering mind cause suffering. The resistance causes much more suffering than the initial emotion. When you are in the present moment, you are not clinging (resisting) and emotions come and go naturally, the ego arises and fades, without causing much trouble.